Thanks to Microsoft’s $400 million, five-year contract it inked with the NFL in 2013, players and coaches have had access to the custom-built Surface tablets for the past two seasons with an application that lets them be more efficient in how they review past plays. The idea is to replace the traditional printed paper black-and-white images of plays to analyze previous possessions, and instead use the waterproof tablets that allow for annotations on each photo with the Surface Pen.

Adding video replays would provide even more opportunity for analysis of what just happened on the field. The NFL tested video streaming to the tablets during last year’s Pro Bowl, and it was met with generally positive feedback. They also tested the new technology during about 20 preseason games this past August and September.

.@NFLFootballOps constantly looks to improve our game & #ProBowl is opp. to research & analyze new ideas in close to real-time conditions

NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy told GeekWire that the league will again test video replays for the 2016-17 preseason, but it’s unclear when the technology will be used during the regular season and playoffs.

KING5’s Chris Egan tests out Bose’s headsets for NFL head coaches at an event in 2014.

As the Associated Press notes, the league takes its time implementing new tech, ensuring that it is reliable and understood by players and coaches. NFL CIO Michelle McKenna-Doyle told the AP that “video on the sideline will be a big game changer for how you coach the game.”

There was a headset-related problem in September when Pittsburgh had issues with its headsets during the season opener against New England. The NFL said the problems were not caused by Bose’s headset, but rather complications due to a “stadium power infrastructure issue” made worse by bad weather.

The league said the new system will create a “more reliable communication system across all NFL venues” that could be used next season.

The NFL introduced players and coaches to the Surface Pro 2 tablet last year, and this season Microsoft is upgrading the devices to a ruggedized, weatherproof version of its Surface Pro 3 tablet, which offers a bigger and thinner screen, lighter weight, clearer images, and a pen that can be used in four different colors.

Microsoft ran into some NFL Surface-related marketing issues this season. More recently during the AFC Championship, New England became “frustrated” after its Surface tablets stopped working for a brief period. The NFL said it was a problem related to a “network cable malfunction” — not the Surface tablet itself, which Microsoft says has functioned without a single problem in the past two seasons.

Taylor Soper is a GeekWire staff reporter who covers a wide variety of tech assignments, including emerging startups in Seattle and Portland, the sharing economy and the intersection of technology and sports. Follow him @taylor_soper and email taylor@geekwire.com.